Binge
by Brin
Summary: Prequel to 'The Siege'. This story follows the tale of the transgenics presiege as they battle to stay alive in a world that strives to kill them.
1. Meet You There

**Legal Disclaimer**: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

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**Storyline Summary**: I created two characters, Eddie and Pick, on my other DA story, The Siege, and I like them so much that I've decided to fill in the gaps about who they are, along with several other DA characters—Gem, Dalton, Dix, Mole, and CeCe, from the moment of the escape 'til chaos erupts in "Freak Nation."

**Tag Line**: Who said the transgenics in Seattle were the only ones with interesting lives?__

A/N: This is a bit different from the things I've written so far. It's a little more intense, but not as dark. It's rated R, but if I find it within myself to do so (lol), I will revise the questionable sections and make it PG-13 for moral reasons.

Chapter Summary: Takes places immediately after _Designate This_. 

Binge 

By

Brin 

"We got a new mission. It's called getting a life." –Max

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binge n. 

1. A drunken spree or revel. 

2.

a. **A period of unrestrained, immoderate self-indulgence.**

b. A period of excessive or uncontrolled indulgence in food or drink: an eating binge. 

intr.v. binged, bing·ing, or binge·ing bing·es 

1. **To be immoderately self-indulgent and unrestrained**

2. To engage in excessive or uncontrolled indulgence in food or drink.

Chapter 1: Meet You There 

Everything was burning, from the barracks to the medical wing. The explosion set off unbearably hot flames that spread a little too quickly for comfort. People were running and screaming, trying to figure out what was going on. Amidst the chaos, the few that _did_ have their minds intact ran around trying to calm everyone down and get the youngest out before they burned alive.

X6-901, eldest X6 and CO of the entire X6 batch, made sure that all the young X8s were safely out of their barracks and over the perimeter fence. He had to make several trips, though, and by the time he had gotten the last of them out of the building it was pouring down icy cold rain. As they climbed over the fence, he glanced back at his home, burning to the ground. The barracks had collapsed and the training halls were obliterated. Everyone had scattered.

He turned and helped one of the youngest X8s climb up the fence. Looking back at Manticore one more time, he was about to jump the fence himself when he saw something moving in the grass. He ran over, thinking it was an X, only to find a cat-faced anomaly crouched low in the tall grass, attempting to walk. His first instinct caused him to cower back from the creature, then she looked up at him with almond-shaped doe eyes.

"Help me! My leg's broken!" she cried desperately, her fangs gleaming in the moonlight as she spoke.

901 took a few steps backwards, then shook the fear from his head and grabbed her extended hand, pulling her to her feet. He tossed her over his shoulder and climbed the perimeter fence, dropping her on the ground as he reached the other side. "You take it from here," he said before running off into the darkness.

"Wait!" called the anomaly, crawling after him, but he was gone. "Well that's just wonderful." She pulled herself over to a tree and yanked herself up into a standing position. "Bastard X series. I oughtta scratch his eyeballs out."

After a few minutes of standing there, contemplating what to do, she heard distinct growling from above her. The anomaly looked up to see a dog anomaly staring down at her from the tree. She yelped in surprise and instinctively took a step back, slipping on a tree root and topping onto the ground.

The dog anomaly jumped from the tree, his feral eyes pinned to her. He had long, scraggily hair down past his shoulders. His eyes, just a little too close together, were the color of the German shepherds' used by the guards.

She started in surprise as he barked at her a few times, baring fangs. In reply, she pushed herself against the tree and hissed at him.

"You!" he said, his voice a deep baritone. "Come with me!"

She just continued to hiss at him, her pointed years flattening against her head.

The dog anomaly took a step forward, then another anomaly materialized from the dark trees behind him. She was very obviously a bit too much simian, with tiny years and an irregularly-shaped head. Her fingers were a bit longer than the norm and her feet were huge.

"Stop it!" she said, swatting the doggish young man on the head. He abruptly sat down, but continued shooting glares in the cat anomaly's direction. The monkey anomaly then turned to the scared young girl and held her hand out. "We've found a safe area not too far from here. I'm 654, and this is 890. He's a bit excited. Who are you?"

"301," replied the cattish girl.

654 nodded and helped 301 to her feet. 890 remained where he was, staring at them indignantly.

"There's a manhole to a large sewer system near here. We've taken shelter there for tonight. You can come with us or stay out here," explained 654.

301 looked at her suspiciously, then shrugged. "Okay."

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901 sent the X8s with a few older X5s and set off in search of the other X6s, whom he had lost in the chaos. He didn't know why he was searching for them; in all the away missions he had been on, the world had been so big he didn't know how anyone found anybody. He did, however, know that his comrades would be smart enough to hide out in the woods until new orders came.

New orders.

He laughed, the sound hollow and nothing more than a puff of air. He knew Manticore was gone, and with it everything they had ever known. It was silly to think command would contact them again. The anomalies would most likely get killed off and the Xs would live the rest of their lives with a secret that would have to be zealously protected… He sighed, shaking his head, knowing it would've been better if Manticore hadn't burned down. For the most part, he didn't like being away from Manticore. He was a loyal soldier and had pledged his allegiance to his superiors. It was wrong to just… leave. Wasn't it? Well, it couldn't be a good thing. He was sure of that.

"901! Sir!"

901 whirled around and peered into the darkness, where seven figures were standing. "Ssh!" he said, narrowing his eyes at them.

The X6 who had called out winced and covered her mouth.

"787, come here!"

787, who also an X6 and CO of a small unit, jogged over and saluted. "Sir!"

"We've got a situation. I want you to take 809, 320, 756, and—" He glanced over at a particularly short soldier and shook his head. "Is that an X8?"

"Sir, yes, Sir!"

"You should've sent him with the X5s. They're trained to handle children." 901 ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Alright, take X8-621 with you. You are to head north and look for shelter. If my instructors were correct you should hit Seattle a few miles up. If you see a signal, respond immediately. You're in charge of them, 787."

787 nodded. "Sir, yes, Sir!"

"Alright. I'll take 449 and 583. We'll take another route to Seattle. I hear there are a few rogue X5s there so I guess it's a good place to hide. And whatever you do, don't flaunt your barcode? Got it?"

"Sir, yes, Sir," they said, keeping their voices down.

"Dismissed," 901 said, watching them as they walked away. "449, 583, what are your mission aliases?"

"Hank, sir," said 583, saluting.

"I don't have one, sir," stated 449.

"Your name is Junky," declared 901 sternly. "Because that's what the Director always said of your training exercises."

449 cringed, but said nothing.

"And I'm Pick. I'm Pick because I am the first born. I am the one picked to be your CO. I have picked your names and I am _always_ picked first. Do you understand?" 901 barked, narrowing his eyes at them.

"Yes, Sir," they said, saluting again.

"Alright, if we can get to Seattle, we can sort things out. We move quickly, we move quietly, but always keep a look-out for word from base. Got it?"

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654 led 301 to a small dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Next to the road was a large tree stump, and behind the stump was a manhole. The monkey anomaly lifted the lid and let 890 go down first, then helped 301, then jumped inside herself. They slowly crept down the ladder, and it wasn't too long until they reached the sewer systems.

301 leaned against 654 for support as she glanced around the huge tunnel. A wide river of nasty-looking green water ran down the middle, but the sidewalks on either side were rather large considering it was a sewer. There was the horrible stench of human waste and trash in the air, but it was just bearable. Anomalies sat all over the place, mostly alone, and the only thing that could be heard was the rushing water.

"Do you expect to stay here for very long?" shouted 301 over the roar of the water, covering her sensitive cat ears with her hands.

"No, this is temporary. We've got scouts looking for a less… squalid area," replied 654. "They should be back in a few minutes. In the meantime, try to get some sleep."

301 nodded and sat down against the wall, curling her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on the top of her knees. 654 and 890 wandered off to chat with some of the other 'nomlies, so she decided to close her eyes for a bit. The longer she sat there, however, the harder it was for her to sleep. It was weird to be on the outside. Yesterday she was sitting on her bunk with her cell mate playing poker with a weathered set of cards Joshua had given her. And now… Manticore was gone. Totally and completely _gone._ Where would they go? It was possible for them to live in the sewers, but that was less appealing than Manticore's basements. And they weren't stupid; despite lack of norm contact, they knew that the norms wouldn't be too pleased to see a 'nomlie sitting on their doorstep. They way she saw it, they had two choices: one being the sewers and two being the forest. From what they had perceived, Manticore was in a rather desolate, government-owned area. It was possible to live in the forest.

"What's your name?" piped a small voice, rousing the cat 'nomlie from her thoughts.

301 looked down to see a young anomaly, only about eight years old, staring back up at her with orange eyes. He was covered from head to toe  in black-and-white-striped fur. In fact, the only thing human about him was his mouth. "What?" she asked, thrown off-guard by his appearance.

"Your name. What is it?"

"I don't have one," she replied. "Who are you?"

The young boy, who looked more like a tiger cub than anything, shrugged and said, "A special unit gone wrong. I was supposed to be a talking tiger, but I got a little too much norm." He waggled his paws at her. "Joshua named me David."

"Oh," 301 shifted away from him. "That's nice."

David scooted closer, unconsciously licking his furry jowls. "You should have a name. I gave everyone else names, but they aren't using them yet." He pointed at 654. "She's Tegan, and 890," He gestured to the dog anomaly, "is Axle."

"Where did you get these names?" asked 301, giving him a bored expression.

"Joshua would take magazines from the guards and give them to me. I found all kinds of cool names and words!" said David with a wide smile. "Your name should be Eddie, 'cause I think you look like an Eddie."

301 narrowed her eyes at him. "Ed…die?"

"Yep."

"Whatever," 301 waved her hand at him dismissively. "Have the search parties come back yet?"

"No… but there they are!" David jumped to his feet as several anomalies appeared from one of the smaller sub-tunnels. They were covered in slime, but didn't seem to take notice of it.

"We found a better place to stay, and there's a manhole right next to it," announced a transhuman, gesturing behind him. "But it takes some walking to get there."

654, or Tegan as David called her, nodded. "Alright, people. Let's get moving."

With sighs of relief and various mutters, the transgenics slowly rose to their feet.

"What's it like?" asked 890, or Axle.

The tranhuman looked at him and shrugged. "We think it was some sort of headquarters back when they were building this place. It's got steel pillars and soundproof walls; you can't hear the water in there."

"Good. I can't stand this any longer," said Tegan with a snort.

Quickly and quietly, the anomalies followed the search party. They had to crawl through three or five tiny sub tunnels. At one point the tunnel was so small they had to hold their arms above their heads and inch through it by pushing with their feet. The tunnels were pitch-black and covered in smelly slime that made them gag and caused their eyes to water. The air was noxious in some of the tunnels so they had to hold their breaths while going through. On top of that, they ran into more than one rat nest during their journey. The rats would pile into the tunnel, blocking their way, and start biting them with sharp fangs. Eventually, they had to put 301 at the front because her cat scent seemed to drive them off. It must've been a good half hour before they finally popped out of the last sub tunnel into a large one like before.

"This is it," said the transhuman, pointing towards a steel door across the sewer river.

"You mean we have to cross this?" asked another transhuman, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"It's not exactly our idea of a nice swim in the lake either, but you do what you gotta do," said the first transhuman.

David, who had been attached to 301's heel since the moment they met, leaned over and said, "That's Dix." He wagged a furry finger at the transhuman.

301, or Eddie as he had named her, nodded distractedly. "Okay… whatever you say."

"The current is pretty strong, so watch your feet. 890, hold tiger-boy," said Dix, pointing to David. "No dawdling. You get washed away and you're on your own."

So, keeping in mind the quiet room that awaited them, the anomalies slowly and carefully crossed the river. And what Dix had said was true; the water was alarmingly strong and some of the smaller anomalies had to be carried.

Eddie, not exactly fond of water, lost her footing once, but Tegan shot out an arm and grabbed her shoulder before she washed away.  The monkey anomaly then pulled Eddie close to her body, shielding her against the current while pulling her across. When they reached the other side, Eddie collapsed on the floor, coughing and sputtering.

"Are you okay?" asked Tegan, rubbing Eddie on the back.

The young anomaly was about to reply, but upon opening her mouth she began to vomit uncontrollably. Being totally submerged in sewer slime was just about the most disgusting thing any of them could think of. Eddie pulled herself to the edge of the concrete and emptied what was left in her stomach—which wasn't much. When there was nothing left in her stomach and she was reduced to gagging on stomach acid, she moved way from the edge and rested her forehead against the ground.

Sparing her sympathetic glances but not saying anything, the other anomalies checked out the quiet room.

Eddie watched them through her peripheral vision, extremely agitated at being in this position. She lay there for a few minutes, then the cat anomaly felt someone rubbing her back in gentle circles. Looking up, she saw David looking at her with a toothy grin.

"What are you doing?" she asked, not bothering to suppress the rumbling purr coming from her chest.

"This should make you feel better," replied David perkily, his paws still moving across her back in a comforting motion.

A little too perkily. Eddie covered her face with both hands to drive away the wave of nausea she felt.

"Come inside. This place smell like rat… crap," suggested the boy, using a euphuism out of pure, youthful shyness about bad words.

"Rat shit," corrected Eddie, smiling weakly.

David laughed and helped her get inside the quiet room, where they located a nice spot in the corner to settle in. The transgenics glanced around the room distractedly, not especially happy with the thought of moving from one basement to another. The walls had reinforced steel beams running through them, the floor was covered in dust and old papers, and their was a cracked window at the front of the room looking out at the sewer system.

"Ain't exactly the Ritz," said a lizard-like transgenic, looking around.

"Shut up, Mole," snapped Dix. "This is the best we can offer. Or do you want to go up and try to hitchhike a ride to the nearest city?"

Several transgenics snickered, and Mole stormed off to sulk.

"Alright, people," interrupted Tegan. "Get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll check out what's left of Manticore."

Eddie looked at David, and David looked at Eddie. There was a mischievous glint in those orange tiger eyes. Eddie scooted away. David scooted closer. Eddie scooted a few feet away. David moved closer until he was practically sitting in her lap.

"Can I sleep next to you?"

"You don't want to. I snore," said the older anomaly with a sigh.

"I don't mind. Please?" He flashed his best doe-eyed look, poking out his bottom lip.

Eddie let out a long breath and scratched her neck. "Okay, okay." She brushed the dust from the corner and curled up there, patting the ground next to her.

David, smiling from ear to ear, moved forward and, disregarding the spot she had cleared for him, curled right up against her stomach like a kitten. "G'night," he whispered, eyes drooping.

Taken off-guard by his invasion of her space, Eddie awkwardly tried to figure out what she should do. It would be rude to push him away, but this blatant show of affection was a foreign thing to her.

Sensing her discomfort, David reached up and pulled one of her arms over his shoulders. He then craned his neck and gave her a kiss on the nose. "G'night," he repeated.

"Night," replied Eddie, managing a small grin as he turned back around.

It didn't take long for the sound of David's soft, even breathing to reach Eddie's honed cat ears. She glanced around the room at all the other transgenics and noticed another cat anomaly—this one a male—looking at her through the darkness with hungry eyes. He was obviously contemplating whether or not to approach them.

"Don't even think about it," hissed Eddie threateningly. The hair on the back of her neck rose and she flipped her tail in agitation. "I'm not on the market or in season."

The male anomaly stared at her for a long time, unblinking, before grumbling under his breath and slinking off into the darkness.

"Serves you right," mumbled Eddie as she idly stroked David's fur. She remained awake for a few more minutes, just in case, then finally put her head down and fell fast asleep.

Meanwhile, Pick, Junky, and Hank traveled a few miles north until they came to a small town. There, they found a few good doorsteps and curled up on the doormats to sleep while the freezing Washington rain dripped down on top of them. By the time all three of them were asleep, the sun was peeking over the horizon.


	2. Wreckage

**Legal Disclaimer**: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me. Don't own the lyrics to "Splurge" by Nelly.

**Summary:** The Xs quickly get settled into their new 'life' while the anomalies discover something interesting in the rubble that was once Manticore.

A/N: Ya know, I have big plans for this story… but I have suddenly developed what should be called writer's ADD and I can't decide what story I want to continue or what…

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Binge 

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By****

Brin 

"The graveyards are full of indispensable men." - Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970)

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splurge   (splûrj)

v. intr.

**To indulge in an extravagant expense or luxury. **

To be showy or ostentatious. 

v. tr.

To spend extravagantly or wastefully.

n. 

An extravagant display. 

**An expensive indulgence; a spree.**

**Chapter 2:** Wreckage

Pick glared over the counter at the ugly old man who was trying to cheat them. "Look, Sir, I understand the Pulse has been hard, but it's been ten years. Bagels just don't cost ten dollars anymore."

"Ten dollars, no less," repeated the old man in a raspy old voice. "Pay up or leave, kid. The nearest bagel place is in the next town."

Grumbling, Pick forked over thirty dollars and received three warm, just-out-of-the-oven blueberry bagels. He then left the store with his two companions, who nibbled on their treats nervously. Manticore had never had bagels; only Pick was familiar with them since he had been introduced to them on an outside mission.

"If we can catch a ride, we'll be in Seattle in no time," announced the CO, taking a large bite out of his bagel.

"We don't have any money," said Junky.

Pick looked at him and sighed. "Well then we'll get some. Watch and learn." He looked around the bustling marketplace, grinned as he found what he was looking for, and strode forward with purpose.

Hank and Junky watched, perplexed, as Pick maneuvered through the crowd, almost unnoticed, and then rammed straight into a young woman with a large purse. Apples flew everywhere as she dropped her things.

"Oh! I'm so sorry!" exclaimed Pick with a horrified look on his face. He bent down and began picking up her things, "Here, let me help you."

"That's alright, really," said the young woman as she shoveled her things back into her purse and rounded up the apples. "Thanks."

"Sorry 'bout that!" called the X6 as she disappeared into the crowd again. He then made his way back to Hank and Junky. "See, guys, it's as simple as pie." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet—the wallet he had stolen from the young woman.

"You're a genius," declared Hank, grabbing the wallet. "Sheesh! She's got… three hundred dollars in here! What's a woman doing carrying around that much cash?"

Pick smiled. "Ah, that's the art of choosing who you steal from. Gotta pick the ones who look like they're not so miserable… and what's more, we can always use her credit cards by checking the receipts in there to see what her signature looks like."

"But… isn't that illegal?" Junky interrupted, eyes wide. "How about we just take the cash, guys? It's enough."

"What, you going soft on me?" asked Pick with a disapproving look. "It's a dog-eat-dog world out there. Shit happens, and that lady will be fine." He sighed at the unsure look still lingering on his companion's face and said, "Okay, how about we spend only half the money in her bank account?"

"Fine," said Junky.

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The rubble that was once Manticore lay silent in the morning light. Only the shell of the building remained; a few pipes, some reinforced walls. The burnt smell still lingered heavily in the air, and ash was swept around by the wind like small tornadoes. The anomalies were giddy at the sight of it – of their Hell on earth burnt to the ground and forever ruined.

"Come on. Look for anything useful," said Tegan, interrupting the somber silence that had befallen the group.

Eddie found David grasping her hand tightly as they picked through the debris, careful of crumbling ceilings and faulty walls. His orange eyes darted here and there nervously. They had ventured for a few minutes, silence all around them, when they came to the middle of the building. There was a young man there, lying on a medical table with his arms spread on both sides of him. He had a large scar down the front of him, and was covered with cement dust and debris.

"What is it?" asked David, eyeing the robotic eye.

"Uhh…" Eddie lifted the young man's head and peeked at the back of his neck. "X5."

"Is he… dead?"

On cue, the robotic eye came to life and a exoskeleton-hand shot out, grabbing Eddie around the neck and raising her into the air. The X5 sat up, letting the debris and dust fall from him, and said in a monotone, "Who are you?"

"Hey! Let her go!" cried David, hitting the X5's arm with his little paws. "Let her go, you big bully!"

Eddie choked and gasped for breath, eyes bulging, as the X5's metallic fingers tightened around her throat and threatened to crush her esophagus.

The X5 swung his legs over the edge of the hospital bed and stood, bringing Eddie with him as if she were nothing more than a silly rag doll. He looked down at David and brushed him aside with one swift kick, sending the young anomaly flying into the already crumbling wall and causing it to collapse down upon him.

"No!" choked Eddie, kicking at her attacker's chest with both clawed feet. She twisted and struggled against him, but his exoskeleton was at least five times stronger than her, whether or not his arm worked. "Let… me… go!"

Then something slammed into the X5 from behind, causing him to topple forward and lose his grip on Eddie. The cat anomaly crumpled to the ground, knocked unconscious.

Axle grappled with the X5, wrestling him into walls and across the floor with all the strength he could manage. Tegan was not far behind, and she soon lunged herself into the fight as well. Combined, the monkey and dog anomaly eventually got the X5 pinned to the ground. Axle reached down and removed the exoskeleton, preventing the young man from causing further damage with it.

"Mkay, tough guy, let's see how good you are without the bionic arm here," growled Axle as he twisted a pipe around the X5's hands like handcuffs. "I'll watch him, Tegan."

The monkey anomaly nodded and walked over to Eddie. She checked for a pulse and, satisfied that she other catlike girl wasn't going to die, walked over to dig David out from underneath the crumbled wall. The tiger boy wasn't badly hurt, only a bit shaken. She pulled him out of the pile of drywall and brushed the dust from his hair. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, orange eyes filled with worry. "Where's Eddie?"

"She's fine, just got the wind knocked out of her," said Tegan, pointing to the unconscious cat anomaly. "Everything's under control."

David nodded again and walked over to Eddie. He shook her gently. "Hey, wake up."

Eddie groaned in pain, her hands feeling the finger marks around her throat, and opened one eye. "You okay, squirt?" she asked in a scratchy voice, then coughed.

"Yep. Are you?"

"I'll be fine."

"Let's go find some water," suggested David, worriedly examining the purple marks forming around his friend's neck.

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Pick settled himself against the bus window and adjusted his new pair of sunglasses. Junky and Hank sat in the seat opposite him, stiff as boards in their new clothes. "Hey guys, lighten up a bit. It's just a bus ride," said the CO X6. He, himself, wore a leather jacket with a white shirt and carpenter khakis. "You look like you're gonna die or something."

"Never been on a bus before," stated Junky in a trancelike voice. "How long until we get to Seattle?"

"About an hour," replied Pick. He smirked. "I'm going to take a nap. You two wake me up when we get there." With that, he dug a baseball cap out of his bag and put it over his face, soon falling fast asleep.

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"Hey, look at this," called David to Eddie, who was standing a few rooms away. "What is it?"

Eddie wandered over to him. "That's the room where they kept all our vitamins," she said in a matter-of-factly tone. Before them was a small room with thick cement walls, made to last through fires. It stood like a bomb shelter in the middle of a war zone. "We should get it open; see if there's anything useful there."

"The door's melted," pointed out the tiger anomaly, gesturing to the steel door.

"Well then we're just going to have to make due, huh?" replied Eddie. She dug around in the debris a bit, then jumped back up with a triumphant yell, holding a lead pipe. "Watch and learn, kid." The cat anomaly walked up to the small room, examined the cement around the room, then abruptly swung out with the pipe. It smashed against the weakened cement with enough force to created a deep rut. She then pulled back and did it again, in the same place, deepening the hole.

"Uhhh… I don't think that's safe," said David, shifting from foot to foot nervously.

Eddie paid no attention to him and hit the wall again with the pipe. This swing penetrated the entire wall, and the top portion came crumbling down into a pile dust and pebbles. "See, kiddo? It's all in the wrist," mused the cat anomaly, hopping over the bottom portion of the wall and into the room.

David was close behind. "What are we going to do with this stuff?" he asked, pulling a bottle of tryptophan off the shelf.

"Sell it, probably. Some of this shit is major bodybuilding supplements," replied Eddie, discreetly pocketing a bottle of mineral replacement and a syringe.

"Didn't you have to take supplements, Eddie?" asked David. "I mean, from what Joshua said… you were always taken upstairs. He says Lydecker liked you the most."

"Lydecker didn't like the 'nomlies. I was an experiment; they put something my brain that made me dependent on their chemical replacement shit."

"Why'd they do that?"

"They were trying to figure out how to cure the X5 dependency on tryptophan. Once they found out, they kept me alive for X6 experiments," said Eddie solemnly. She pocketed the required replacements and took a deep breath. "These will last me about a year. Let's go tell Tegan what we found."

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"Pick. Pick, wake up."

Grumbling, the CO X6 opened sleepy eyes to see Hank and Junky staring down at him. "We there?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Pick sat up and rubbed his face before getting off the bus. Their bags were sitting on the ground next to the bus, and he picked up his newly-purchased duffel bag full of newly-purchased clothes and toothbrushes. The three X6s then walked a few blocks down to the hotel they had made reservations at. It was the nicest hotel in Seattle, but after the Pulse… nice was sorely downgraded.

"Hi, I'm Jack Adams and I'm here with my brothers to check into our room," said Pick to the lady behind the steel-barred window.

She typed a few things on her beat-up old computer and then handed them three keys. "You are on the third floor, rooms 319 through 321. I hope your stay is enjoyable."

"Thank you," He glanced down at her nametag and winked, "Marissa."

Flustered, the young woman nervously smiled back.

"That was disgusting," whispered Junky as they walked towards the elevator.

"Yeah, but isn't it great?" replied Pick with a grin. He pressed the "up" button. "Oh, if I forgot to mention it to you guys, we'll be finding a permanent residence soon. Some 'friends' of mine from an outside mission recently 'abandoned' their home, though nobody else knows that it's empty, if you follow me."

Hank laughed as they stepped onto the creaky old elevator. "You think we'll have much trouble?"

"Nope, I think we'll have this town wrapped around our fingers in no time," replied Pick with a grin. "Besides, several other X6 units are headed here. Seattle won't have a clue what hit them."

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"Are you sure this is what we're supposed to be doing?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Are you sure you're sure?"

"Shut up, Dalton."

The X6 shut his mouth and groaned at his X5 companion. "Gem, I'm tired. I'm hungry, too. Are you sure command isn't going to contact us?"

"I'm sure."

"Are you sure you're sure?"

"DALTON!"

"I was just checking."

Gem rolled her eyes and let out a breath, rustling her damp bangs. "Look, I was told that there's going to be a regrouping somewhere outside Seattle, but we were instructed to keep low profiles until some kind of message came about to tell us where to go."

"So you steal a car?"

"That guy won't miss it." Gem turned the rusty old Honda Civic down a dirt road going straight through the forest. A sign passed saying SEATTLE – 75 MILES. "And it's not my fault that you had us going in the wrong direction all day yesterday. I thought X6s had a good sense of direction."

"Hey, you didn't say anything! I was too preoccupied yesterday, what with _our home _burning to the ground," grumbled Dalton. He crossed his arms over his chest and slumped down in the seat.

"Yeah well maybe I'll just toss you on the side of the road," the X5 snapped.

"Guys, guys, that's enough! Can't a girl get any sleep around here?" complained a voice from the backseat.

"CeCe, you're no help either," said Dalton.

A blonde head appeared in the rearview mirror. "You two need to spend less time around each other," she declared, ruffling her sleep-tousled hair. "Or maybe you just need to spend _more_ time with each other."

"No!" said the other X5 and X6 at the same time.

"Well, whatever you do, stop with all the goddamn arguing!" said CeCe bitterly.

"We weren't arguing," announced Dalton in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Yes we were, and you started it!" replied Gem.

CeCe groaned and mumbled under her breath, "Oh fuck it…" She then flopped back down on the seat and went back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After scouring what was left of Manticore for anything useful or of value, the anomalies met up in the forest to discuss what they should do with the survivors they had found – three X5s and a half-alive X7.

Tegan, who everyone now looked up to as their leader, quieted everyone and said, "These X5s owe us their lives, and they can help us get what we need, save Grumpy over there." She pointed at Zack with her chin.

"Yeah, but what's to stop them from betraying us?" asked Mole, narrowing his eyes at the X5s bitterly.

"We'll just have to trust them," said Axle sternly. He looked at the Xs and knelt close to the only female, an X5, "What's your name?"

She was bound with the steel framing from one of the bunks, and heavily pregnant. She wasn't going anywhere. "I don't have a name."

"Designation, then?"

"X5-669."

"Mmmhmm," said Tegan thoughtfully, then turned to David. "Name?"

"Jackie," he replied, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Jackie it is then," declared the monkey anomaly. "Now, Jackie, we need you to do something for us, okay?"

"No! I won't serve the 'nomlies, you filthy beasts!" she cried.

"Mood swings," commented Eddie with a grin.

"Well then I guess we'll just have to eat _you_," said Axle, winking at Tegan. He stood up and glanced around as if he was looking for something. "Anyone got matches?"

"Hey! You can't eat me! I'm an X5! I'm pregnant!"

"We know," said Dix with a snicker.

She glared daggers at him, but, realizing they were simply toying with her mind to make a point of their current power over her, slumped against the tree. In her seventh month of pregnancy, her distended belly was beginning to weigh heavily and any kind of fight would result in a loss for her. She had no choice. "Fine. I don't think they'll do it, though." She gestured to the other two X5s, who were watching silently.

"That's right, we won't," said the one with the bionic eye.

"Yep," added the other one, who was missing his left hand. "You 'nomlies can all go to Hell."

"We're takin you down with us," growled Mole.

"Alright! That's enough!" interrupted Tegan. "One X5 is all we need. We can leave the others to fend for themselves, and maybe keep the X7."

"Fine," barked the robotic X5.

"Fine," replied Tegan in a high, mocking voice. "You little shit."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, things were going pretty well for the X6s. Pick got a few hundred dollars out of the young woman's bank account, expertly maneuvering the law, and decided that he and his companions should go barhopping. They found an entire street full of bars on both sides, and worked their way from one end to another.

Pre-Pulse bars, which were now simply ignored by the law officials since they, themselves, often attended the parties and such, were much more… sinful than they had been before. They had brighter lights, louder music, and less-dressed dancers. Hookers prowled the streets looking for men with the most money, wearing little to no clothing and ranging in ages from fourteen to thirty.

"Whoo, check this one out," said Pick, pointing to a club with a line that seemed longer than all the others. He walked over, Junky and Hank glued to his heels, and whispered something in the bouncer's ear. The older man smiled and held out his hand, which Pick slipped a few hundred dollar bills into, and then stepped back to allow them to enter.

"I knew we'd see things eye to eye," commented the X6 as he entered.

This club was definitely more exclusive than the others, with more rich old men with anywhere from three to twenty beautiful young women hanging on their arms. The drinks were less watery and there was even a live band performing a Pre-Pulse favorite.

_You see the magazines and me on your TV screen and you think  _

_you know me but you really don't you don't even know but I, I'm _

_feeling good bout myself so I, I splurge a little Hey! _

_You see the money and the, the cars and diamonds and ya, ya think_

_it make me but it really don't. It really, really don't. But I, I'm feeling'_

_good about myself, so I, I splurge a little Hey!_

Pick excused himself from his nervous companions and moved onto the dance floor, eyes searching left and right for a partner. He quickly found one – a beautiful redhead with dazzling green eyes. She rubbed up against him, her small hands traveling up his body and down his pants.

_I think the time has come for me to have some fun, I'm bout to peel _

_back the top and blaze in da sun. What the fuck I'd had done my _

_momma's only son I went from slangin to bangin to yellin number 1._

_I love my fans to death until my last breath. That's why when I _

_perform I give till there's nothin left. No competition my, opposition _

_gonna feel the pain. More complications relationships ain't gonna _

_be the same. Do they know the fame and all that it can bring? If they_

_attracted to Nelly then who like Cornell Haynes? I'm poppin collars from_

_California to D.C . I'm in the VIP Louie bottles and Hennessey's. I'm _

_putting mileage on 20 inches and 23's I'm flipping out my keys, I'm _

_flipping down the screens. I'm about to spread my wings, tryin to _

_fulfill my dreams. With anything that I want if I don't I got the means._

Enjoying himself, Pick wrapped his arms around her tiny waist, his hands traveling where he knew they shouldn't, and he bent to kiss her neck. In response, she moved closer to him, one leg wrapping around his. She smiled up at him, drunken off her ass, and brushed the nape of his neck with her fingers. Her smile widened. "You're an X6."

Pick froze.

_You see the magazines and see me on you TV screen and_

_you think you know me but your really don't you don't even know_

_but I, I'm feelin good about myself so I splurge a little Hey!_

_You see the money and the, the cars and diamonds and you,_

_you think it makes me but it really don't. It really, really don't._

_but I, I'm feeling good about myself so I splurge a little Hey!_

"Who are you?" he asked, stepping back.

She grabbed his hand and let his fingers feel the back of her neck. "X5. Welcome to Seattle."

Pick relaxed, feeling the rough barcode, and smiled. "Well isn't that a coincidence?

_You think you know me but you really don't know. If I could walk _

_through the club like everything be for sho. And I'll get 1 _

_little girl, 2 little girls tryin to tryin to get me to dance, I'll get _

_Three little girls four little girls pullin on my pants damn! It _

_feels good when everything's ok and it's beautiful sight when_

_everything goes you're way.  And I could walk in the mountains_

_and I still get Valet . Vokal baluer and my suede ballets. I'm_

_feelin good it's only right I deserve to spread the love through_

_all my peeps it's only right that I splurge. And any nigga trippin_

_out, I leave 'em right by da curb. And I don't wanna sleep_

_momma so Goodnight and good word. I'm on a mission and_

_It's startin like a mystery. And I ain't stoppin till I go down in _

_history. Now who ever said you knows, you dealin with a pimp fo' sho. _

_N.E double L .Y. Ok now here it go!_

The X5 smiled back and resumed dancing, but didn't release her hold on his hand. She moved it up and down her body suggestively, and after awhile he couldn't stand it anymore.

"Let's take this somewhere more… private," he suggested into her ear.

"Just what I was thinking," replied the female X5.

_You read the magazines and heard I made a scene. believe _

_it or not I swear I'm just a human being. I'm doing human things._

_cause only humans change. They label me a role model cause_

_I appeal to teens. It really ain't that strange now that i think about_

_it, I came to play the game and changed everything about it. I'm feelin_

_better than ever without that lotto shit. I wake up early like_

_hit cooler like lets go buy some shit. You dressed the hottest _

_fits drivin the hottest whips, We got the baddest chicks. Yo with the_

_widest hips. Donating money to families calling me last shit. They screamin war_

_I'm like fuck it go buy a battle ship. Bring it up that Mississippi _

_if you really wanna come and get me. tell them nigga's don't _

_tip me cause I'll squeeze them shit still empty. Take shot like niggas with_

_frisbees. Who the juice I hear ya'll gon pimp me. You niggas must _

_be gifted! Makin' an innocent nigga plead guilty._

As the song ended, the two of them left the bar and headed towards the hotel Pick was staying in. They hadn't gone two blocks, however, when a group of men stepped out from the shadows in front of them.

"Hey loser!" yelled one of them. He had a thick metal chain in his hand. "Why don't you let the pretty little lady go and run along home? She needs a real man tonight."

Pick ignored them as he walked by, but they followed.

"Yeah, pretty boy. Come on, she wants a good fuck. We'll take care of everything for you, dipshit," said another, bouncing a baseball bat against his palm.

When he still didn't respond, one of them grabbed his shoulders.

"Yo dipshit! I said—"

WHAM!

The man fell to the ground with a broken nose, courtesy of the X6's fist. Immediately, the other men – there was about ten of them – charged forward. Pick jumped high into the air and kicked the first in the face, then came down with both feet onto the second's chest. Appearing as if he were walking through midair, the X6 put his other foot out and jumped off the third man's face, causing him to fall back onto his comrades. Pick spun around in the air and landed behind them. He grabbed the first head he could get his hands onto and twisted, hearing the satisfying crack of his neck breaking. The men that were left saw their comrade fall to the ground, dead, and stared at Pick with fearful eyes.

"What are you?" said one of them, backing up. "Let's get out of here!"

The others didn't have to be told twice, and they ran off into the darkness with their tails between their legs.

"Good show!" exclaimed the female X5, clapping her hands.

Pick walked over and scooped her up into his arms. "Now, let's get back before anyone else decides to get their ass kicked…"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie sat hidden in a tree as news crews and police scoured the destroyed Manticore base, using floodlights to illuminate the night. Beside her sat Axle, and beside him was Tegan. A shaky friendship was established between the three of them.

"Do you think they'll expose us?" whispered Eddie.

"No. What's left of Manticore would cover it all up," replied Tegan thoughtfully. She scratched the back of her neck and added, "Besides, I bet you Manticore doesn't even appear on the radar; they probably had this place covered up as a hospital or something."

"What do we do now?" asked the cat anomaly, ducking as a floodlight swung a bit in the night wind and flashed a light on their tree.

"I think we'll have to resort to less… orthodox ways of surviving. I hear the road going through the forest gets little traffic, and there's a campsite somewhere around here… We'll have to steal our way through."

"And if we get caught?" Axle licked his jowls, his eyes showing his doubt.

"We won't. We're almost as good as the X-series, and if they can do it without being seen, we can too. All we gotta do is wait for our time." Tegan put a hand on the dog anomaly's shoulder. "I'm headin down."

"I'll come with," said Eddie, swinging her legs over the side of the branch. "You staying here?"

"I wanna make sure they don't find anything unusual."

"Okay, whatever."

The two anomalies jumped from the tree, falling ten feet down, and took off in the darkness with their heads down. They passed dangerously close to a wandering cameraman, but they moved so quickly that he barely heard them go by. When they finally reached the entrance to the sewer, they pulled off the lid and Eddie jumped down, quickly followed by Tegan.

"That was close," commented Eddie, brushing her hands against her fatigues.

"Get some sleep," replied the monkey anomaly. "I'll wait up for Axle."

Eddie smiled and made her way into their temporary home, eyes raking the crowd for David. He was lying fast asleep in the same spot as the night before, and she went over to curl up around him protectively, pointedly ignoring the stares of the male cat anomaly. The moment her head dropped down, she was asleep.


	3. HeadOn Collision

**Legal Disclaimer**: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

**Summary:** Things progress faster and faster for the Xs while things are slowing down for the anomalies. Eddie meets up with Pick again, and then she gets herself into a predicament that leaves her buried in deep trouble.

A/N: Forget my first chapter ratings disclaimer. It'll still be more mature material, but I just don't have enough time to make this into the epic I planned.

Binge 

By

Brin

"Love is a trick that nature plays on us to get us to reproduce"- Callisto, played by Hudson Leick

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

**spree** (sprē)

n. 

A carefree, lively outing. 

**A drinking bout. **

**A sudden** **indulgence** **in or** **outburst of an** **activity.**

Chapter 3: Head-On Collision

Pick tipped his sunglasses downward as he spotted a young woman moving across the marketplace, turning many heads besides his own. She had long blonde hair with blue streaks pulled into a braid and when she smiled he noticed that her canines were just slightly too sharp to be human. Immediately, he was moving towards her with a determined stride.

"Excuse me," he said, grabbing her shoulder and discreetly brushing the back of her neck. Psy-ops. "Do I know you?"

The young woman glanced at him with lavender eyes and smiled broadly. "I don't know… but I know you."

He made a gesture for her to follow him, and they ducked out of the crowded marketplace into a narrow alley. As soon as they were out of earshot, he began to speak, "Have you received any word from command?"

"No, sir. The star sign said scatter and go to ground, sir," she replied, saluting him.

Pick slapped her hand away from her forehead. "We've been abandoned by command. Don't call me sir. My name is Pick now. What's yours?"

"The alias I have used since the fire is Becky, si… Pick." She licked her lips nervously and touched her flat stomach. "I was wondering… do you have any food? I'm awful hungry…"

"Yeah. Come with me." He put his sunglasses back on and they moved back into the marketplace, quickly melting away in the folds of people.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Becky followed Pick until they came to a warehouse several klicks from the marketplace. He looked up at the windows, in which small pinpricks of light could be seen by only the most well-trained eyes, and knocked on the door. A small slot opened and two green eyes peeked out.

"Open up. It's me," said the X6, removing his sunglasses again.

As if identifying him by this, the slot slid back into place and the steel door was slowly opened. "Good to see you back, sir, and with a friend!" piped the X8 that stood before them. "Hullo. My name's Bugler."

The psy-ops grinned at him and shook his outstretched hand a little unsurely. "Hi there. I'm Becky."

"Becky, huh?" The little boy crossed his arms. "We don't have a Becky here yet."

"Well you do now," she replied.

Pick ruffled his hair, laughing. "Stop harassing the newcomers and get back to your post, little man."

Bugler smiled toothily and scuttled away.

"You have X8s doing duty?" asked Becky.

"Everyone has a job around here," answered Pick coolly. "It's the only way to operate smoothly."

"And what are you operating?"

"A transgenic sanctuary." The X6 made a broad gesture to the room around them.

For the first time, Becky let her eyes sweep the area, and they widened with awe at what was before her. What had probably been a totally empty box of a building had now been built into what looked like an apartment complex. With tedious care and amazing architectural skill, three floors had been built along three of the warehouse walls. The fourth wall was equipped with balconies for guards to watch the outside.  Doors lined each story – about twenty doors per level – and each floor extended several meters into the warehouse. Transgenics were milling about in front of their rooms, some leaning over the railing of the level balconies and watching the area below, which was something to behold in itself. About one hundred fifty transgenics were sitting in a grand area of plush furniture and carpet. There were televisions, radios, video games – the whole lot. It seemed that at least one of every X series from 3 to 9 was present, the eldest seemingly in their late twenties and the youngest just beginning to walk.

"Wow," said Becky. "Just… wow."

"Yeah, it's pretty nice." Pick patted her on the back and beckoned a X4 over. "Follow Libby. She'll take you to get some food."

Becky nodded and did as she was told.

As soon as she was gone, Pick strode forward into the swarm of X series and found Hank and Junky sitting with several females.

"Well would you look at you two," said the oldest X6 casually. "Getting some game?"

Hank smirked at him. "Jealous?"

Pick held his hands up. "Ay, watch it." He moved forward and kissed one of the females on the head. "How you doing, CeCe?"

The blonde glared at him. "Fine. Why do you ask?"

"Can't I be concerned over the well-being of one of my favorite mission partners?" asked the X6, giving her an injured look.

"That's not the only kind of partner he appreciates," commented another female in a sour tone.

Pick winked at her and was about to sit down when his phone rang. Quickly, he answered it, "Hello?" A pause. "You're where?… Cisco?… You want me to what?… Are you sure?… Alright. Yeah. Tomorrow. Right. Bye."

"What was that?" asked Junky as his friend closed the cell phone.

"I got a call from Dodd in Cisco. Says he needs to see me about a few refugees that've turned up around there," replied Pick distractedly. He tapped his phone and bit his lip, obviously bothered.

"What is it?" queried one of the young women, though her voice betrayed her lack of sincerity.

"Eh… nothing. I'm just worried about Dodd getting caught. He said he's got a whole band of X8s following him around," replied the X6. After a few seconds of standing there, he grabbed his leather jacket from the arm of a couch and announced, "I'm going to go right now. Can't take any chances." He looked at Hank. "You and Junky are in charge while I'm gone, got it? I don't wanna come back and find the place burnt to the ground."

The two X6s mockingly saluted him. "Yes, sir, Mr. Picky, sir."

Pick smiled and flipped them off, then headed out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The X6 zipped through traffic and sector checkpoints, quickly entering the forest outside of Seattle. He was making good time, the miles melting away underneath his thundering motorcycle, and enjoying the feel of the wind in his hair. For several months now they had been out, and it seemed that he hadn't had a moment of peace since then. If he wasn't with his latest conquest, he was out gathering refugees and scouting for any sign of command. He was up at all hours dealing with crises that one would expect with a group of a couple hundred teenagers under one roof, and there was always someone mad at him for _something_, whether it be forgetting their name morning after or drinking their soda pop without permission.

He sighed as he regarded the road before him uneasily. These parts were dangerously close to where Manticore had been. Who knows what could be lurking in the—

As if on cue, something launched itself from a treetop and hit him from the side. The X6 was unceremoniously thrown from his motorcycle, which slid across the pavement with a terrible screeching sound and came to a stop in the ditch on the side of the road. Before Pick could recover, he felt hands searching his body, and saw his wallet flash before his eyes. He blinked, and the culprit was gone.

Immediately, the X6 was on his feet and taking off after the pickpocket at full speed, too fast for the human eye to see clearly. "Hey!" yelled Pick as he ran through the woods after the thief who had stolen the $400 cash in his wallet. "Get back here!" He could see the thief ahead of him, moving like a cheetah through the brush.

They ran like this for a few minutes before Pick suddenly lost sight of the person. He stopped and listened. Nothing moved. There was no sound. He took another step forward, then was suddenly pulled into the air by his ankle.

"Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck!" he yelled, furious with his undignified position - hanging ten feet off the ground. "This is bullshit!"

"Bad word," said a distinctly female voice from behind him.

Pick twisted his body around to see an anomaly sitting on the tree branch he was hanging from. "You!"

"And you!" responded the anomaly, equally surprised. "You're the one who left me outside Manticore like nothing more than a bag of rotten post-Pulse potatoes."

Pick saw bad things coming. Her tone indicated anger and her face… well, if looks could kill… "I was preoccupied. I had X8s to think about."

"Oh really?" snapped the anomaly. She pulled a knife from her pocket and cut the rope, causing Pick to fly headfirst into the ground. "I guess they forgot to give you some cat DNA to cure that horrible falling business."

Pick raised his head and glared at her. "That was quite painful." He spat leaves. "And most X6s had a blast of canine DNA, anyway…"

"Well that's a load of bullshit for me, 'cause I'm an X6 too," said the anomaly, wiggling her pointed ears and swishing her tail to accentuate her point.

"That's impossible," replied Pick as he struggled to stand up. "You're a 'nomlie."

"No, it's not. What, do you think Manticore created anomalies on purpose? We're all Xs, we just… came out a bit different."

"You can say that again."

"We're all Xs, we just came out a bit different," repeated the anomaly with a smirk. She jumped onto the ground and put him in a headlock. "Now, I know you want your money back but I'm not gonna give it to you. So you can either walk away now or I'll make sure you regret ever 'saving' me."

Pick thrust his body forward, loosening the headlock and causing the anomaly to stumble a bit. He punched her on the back and attempted to kick her feet out from under her, but she flipped backwards and kicked him in the face with both feet. Pick staggered back, his nose broken, and glared at his opponent. "That's it!" he yelled, running forward. He punched the anomaly across the face, then kicked her in the stomach. She ducked his next kick and punched him in the neck. Pick fell back, gasping for air.

"Oh… is the wittle X6 hurt?" cooed the anomaly mockingly.

"B… bitch!" choked Pick, running forward despite his lack of breath.

This turned out to be a mistake, since his movements were slowed by the lack of oxygen and his anomaly opponent took full advantage of that. She punched him in the face a few times, shoved him backwards, then, seemingly as an afterthought, kneed him in the groin.

Pick fell to the ground moaning.

The anomaly patted him on the head. "You poor thing. Don't worry, I probably didn't cause any… permanent damage." She blew him a kiss. "Hope you don't mind if I fence your bike," she added before running off in the direction of the road.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Eddie lugged the motorcycle back to the road and jumped on, zooming off just as the egotistical X6 emerged from the forest to give chase. He was hopeless against the 150 horsepower motor, however, and she was soon miles away. The anomaly cruised for some more distance then pulled into a thicket of trees. Going slowly now as to avoid hitting anything, Eddie maneuvered the bike through the foliage and came to a stop in front of Mole.

"Look what I found lying on the side of the road," she scoffed, taking off her leather gloves. "A tricycle."

"It's a helluva nice tricycle," replied the anomaly. He whistled appreciatively. "Good work. This'll keep us in the Skittles and beer for awhile."

Eddie nodded at him as two transhumans came and took the bike away to prepare it for sale. She immediately searched out David and found him practicing his stealth underneath a willow tree. Amused, she leaned against another tree and watched him. Down on all fours, the tiger anomaly was stalking a grasshopper. It sat upon an upturned root with no indication that it cared of the anomaly's presence. David slithered around it in circles for a few minutes, seemingly sizing up his opponent, then readied himself to pounce.

"RAWR!" he yelled as he jumped forward. The grasshopper, however, seemed to see this coming, and casually hopped away. "Dangit."

"You almost got him," called Eddie as she stepped through the curtain of willow branches.

"Eddie!" exclaimed David, running over and throwing himself into her arms.

The older anomaly smiled into his white fur. Comfort. That's what they felt together, and it was the only comfort either of them had. Sure, they had befriended the other anomalies in the group, but the protectiveness they felt for each other was deeper than their relationships with any other. With their future being so unsure and seemingly so limited, the two young anomalies felt that their friendship was the only thing they would have until the end.

"Did you get anything today?" he asked excitedly.

Eddie stood and searched her pockets, eventually producing from them a shiny green apple. "This fell off a truck heading to the market in Seattle. I caught it for ya."

David's eyes widened as he accepted the treat. "Are you sure you don't want it?" he asked, sniffing the smooth green surface.

"Just eat it, squirt," she replied, ruffling his hair. "If I wanted to eat it, I would've eaten it before I got here, hm?"

"I guess so…" He took a tentative, albeit large, bite, and an extremely pleased look came over his face. The anomalies had been on a diet of, well, whatever they could scrounge up. The pregnant X5 female had been some use to them, but she was now so heavy with child that sending her into market would be dangerous and, as expected, the two male X series had disappeared as soon as they were asked to go to market.

"Hey, I'm going to go talk to Tegan for a while. It's getting late, so start heading back in awhile, okay?" 

David nodded as he happily ate some more of his apple.

Pleased, Eddie exited the sanctuary and took the long walk to the middle of the woods, where the anomalies had set up a surface camp. It was dangerous, yes, but if anyone happened upon it… their conscience was overridden by their natural instinct to survive. The young cat anomaly located her apish friend and sauntered over with a sly grin.

"How about that bike I brought in?" she asked coolly.

Tegan shook her head, an exasperated look on her face. "Yes, we know, you're the best." They laughed. "Hey, you should lay off the sun for awhile – you look a little flushed."

Eddie nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I _have_ been feeling a little warm today. Maybe too much time in the trees." She shrugged. "How's things been going?"

"Oh, didn't you hear? Jackie's been feeling labor pains – and it's about time. The normal X series gestation period is 8 months; she's over nine. But, with the Xs you never know." A pause. "No, seriously, Ed, you look _really_ burnt."

By this time, Eddie was no longer listening to a word Tegan said. Instead, her attention was directed towards a looming shape standing not an incredible distance away. An anomaly several years older than her, probably in his mid-twenties, who had the likeness of a panther. He was not furry all around, but mostly dark-skinned with a furred head and hands. Standing tall, about six-foot-two, he was well-muscled and powerful-looking. These aforementioned muscles were easily seen due to the pair of boxers that were the only thing this man wore.

Tegan followed Eddie's train of sight and when she saw that her friend was looking at, the pieces fell together. She was just about to put her arm out to stop her infatuated friend, but Eddie was gone.

"Hi," drawled Eddie as she approached the panther-like male. With 'powers' that she hadn't previously known, the anomaly let loose a burst of pheromones that instantly bought her the attention of all the males in the area – especially Panther Man.

"Hello," he replied, his voice smooth and deep as he leaned forward so that he was closer to her head – the source of her pheromones. They rubbed cheeks as he did, and their fate was sealed.

"Cat in heat! Cat in heat! Red alert!" Dix was yelling as he watched the exchange with wide eyes. Not gifted in the area of smelling pheromones, the transhuman was only vaguely aware of his heightened attraction for the girl as he ushered the other anomalies away. It was extremely dangerous to get in the way now – a risk that could end in death or dismemberment for any party, no matter how skilled he or she believed himself or herself to be.

In a matter of minutes the area was clear. Panther led Eddie over to an old, rusted car that had been discovered in an abandoned barn, and they climbed inside for more privacy.

Eddie's head was jamming against the door, a spring digging into her back, but she didn't care. Her focus was entirely on the man on top of her, his lips starting at her own and then gradually moving downward as he removed the items of clothes that obstructed his way. Blood was pounding in her ears, her body reacting to Panther's every touch. It seemed to her that she was in pure bliss…

…but then there was that annoying little voice inside that kept saying over and over as Panther's boxers suddenly lay discarded on the floor, 'You're going to regret this.'

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TBC…


	4. Bent

**Legal Disclaimer**: I don't any of the characters in this story that appear in the hit syndicated TV show, Dark Angel, which are owned by James Cameron. I do, however, own the original characters featured in this story. If you wish to use them, please ask me.

A/N: Ah! Fluffiness! You'll have to excuse my shameless romance ploy in this chappy, because I'm a girl and I just couldn't help myself =o)

Binge 

By

Brin

"The deepest definition of youth is life as yet untouched by tragedy." - Alfred North Whitehead (1861 - 1947)

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**bend·er** (bĕn**'**dr)

n. 

_Slang_. A spree,especially a** drinking spree**

Chapter 4: Bent

Pick grumbled to himself as he trudged through the forest. That goddamn anomaly! Now he was going to have to hike the fifty or so miles to the nearest town, jack a car, and make it to San Francisco before the others got worried enough to go out looking for him. He kicked a stone and glanced at the stars to reassess his direction. Predictably, he hadn't strayed from his path since the last time he looked. X6s had an especially keen sense of direction, especially in the forests. It was the wolf DNA.

The night was pleasantly warm with the onset of summer, so Pick shrugged off his jacket and slung it over his shoulder. In front of him, the forest stretched out as far as he could see, which wasn't very far considering the thickness of the brush. He kicked another stone.

He had gone about five miles when he first noticed something a little odd about the forest. Unless he was going crazy from all this stress, he thought he saw the shadows moving. Once or twice, the X6 could've sworn he saw two pinpricks of light in the branches, like eyes glinting in the moonlight. Another mile passed with no events other than the mysterious movements, then they disappeared altogether.

"Creepy," he mumbled aloud, then froze as he heard… a sob? The X6 paused. There it was again. Yep, definitely someone sobbing. He strained his ears. It was either a girl or a pre-puberty boy, because each sob was accented with a high-pitched whimper.

Following his ears, Pick veered off his path. He moved about a hundred paces, then the trees abruptly broke and he stopped to peer through the darkness.

A young woman was sitting on the edge of the river, naked from the waist up. Her shirt was laid out on the grass beside her. From where he was, Pick couldn't see her face at all. She was dabbing her back with a wet cloth, and Pick could see that she was covered in swollen red scratches. Occasionally, she would sob or whimper, but it seemed as though she was trying to hold it back the best she could. It wasn't working very well.

Quiet as his X6 genes would let him, Pick moved forward until he was right behind the young woman. After taking a deep breath, he said quietly, "Hey."

The young woman gasped and whipped her head around, arms instinctively crossing over her bare chest. Her eyes glinted green in the moonlight like a cat's.

She _was_ a cat.

"You!" exclaimed Pick, gaping.

"And you!" responded the cat anomaly, gawking.

"What are you doing here?" they blurted at the same time then, also at the same time: "I'm just leaving."

Pick narrowed his eyes. "You stole my bike."

"You left me to die," spat the anomaly.

"You ruined my week."

"Yeah well my life is ruined, and it's no one's fucking fault!" shouted the young woman, getting to her feet. "I just fucked a complete stranger because I was in heat, I can't feel my back because it's gone numb – not to mention other various, _unmentionable_ parts of my body, and there's a ninety percent chance that I just got myself pregnant with a litter of kittens, all while being forced to live in the fucking woods for the rest of my goddamn life. _Now tell me how your day's going!"_

Pick shut his mouth. "I… uh…"

"Mmhm. That's what I thought," snapped the cattish young woman. She took a step closer to the X6 – so close that her arms, still crossed over her breasts, touched his chest – and whispered, "You have no idea what my life's like. Back off." And with that, she began to walk away.

Something happened inside Pick's mind as he watched the young woman walk away from him. Later he would say that something just… clicked. A strange feeling of desperation came over him and he blurted, "Wait!"

The anomaly stopped, but didn't turn or give a verbal response.

"Wh… wh…," he stuttered for a moment before finding the words, "What's your name?"

"Why?"

"I need to know."

"My name's Eddie. And you are?" Now she turned around.

Feel an inexplicable urge to do so, the X6 walked over to her and held out his right hand as he answered, "The name's Pick."

She stared at his hand, then glanced down at her hands, which were busy covering her breasts. "Uhh…"

"Oh, right. Sorry. Here, take my jacket," suggested Pick, handing over the item.

Eddie pulled it over her shoulders and zipped it up. "Thanks."

"No problem."

They shared a strangely shy silence, then said at once: "I'm sorry."

"_You're_ sorry? For what?" asked Eddie, eyebrows raised.

"That your life is turning out so bad. I wish I could help," replied Pick with all the authenticity he could muster. He put one hand on her shoulder and gestured to a nearby log, which they sat on. "What are you sorry for?"

"Well, there's the obvious – stealing your bike… which you're not getting back, no matter how charming you are." She smiled. "And I'm sorry for yelling at you like that. It's not your fault my life's so bad. It's all because of those fuckers at Manticore."

Pick laughed. "I should hope that they didn't fuck and end up with the likes of us."

Eddie chortled in spite of herself. "Yeah."

A companionable silence followed, and they both found themselves staring up into the stars. Time slowed for them as they sat, feeling oddly serene in each other's presence.

"When I was a kid, I used to sit on the roof of the barracks and name all the constellations as I saw them. Once, on an outside mission, I saw this movie where a guy picked out a star to call his own so, naturally, I did the same," said Pick amusedly. "It's that one." He pointed it out.

"I never saw the stars as a child. Not until they let me out for experimental training," replied Eddie softly.

Pick looked at her. Tears were shimmering in her glowing eyes, which would've seemed disconcerting to some, but entranced him. "Are you okay?"

"No," she answered truthfully, then sniffled. "No, I'm not okay."

Almost instinctively, Pick's arm snaked out and around her shoulders. He gently pulled her body to him, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. "You'll be fine, Eddie. Everything will be okay."

"I don't know what to do," she sobbed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I can't stand being me right now; I can't handle it. Help me, Pick. You've gotta help me. I want to die."

"Hey, stop that! Stop talking like that," scolded the X6. He kissed the top of her head and rocked her tenderly. "I'll help you, Eddie. I promise, I'll help you. You're not gonna live in the forest for the rest of your life. Don't even worry about it. I promise you'll be happy someday, okay?" He craned his neck to look at her.

Eddie stared up into his eyes, her face red and puffy from crying. She clung to him more tightly and whispered, "Okay."

And they stayed like that all night.

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Pick felt warm… which was strange considering the cold droplets of water hitting his face. He cracked open one eye and then the other, surprised to find himself looking out over a wide river instead of his bland bedroom back at headquarters. The sky overhead was overcast with white-gray clouds that were currently emptying themselves upon the world.

He looked down and everything from the night before came rushing back with startling force. There was an anomaly cuddled in his arms. An anomaly who, for the most part of his life, he had been taught to fear and hate for what they were – genetic failures; real life monsters; hideous, unmerciful, repulsive, savage…

She was purring.

In that moment, watching her sleep nestled in his arms, Pick knew true compassion for the first time in his life. This was no monster. She wasn't the gruesome beast that most X series made anomalies to be. In fact… she was quite attractive, at least in his eyes. Living in the dark for so long had given her a fair complexion, and a few freckles splashed the end of her nose. This, combined with her pointed ears and dark hair gave her a decidedly Elfin look, like Liv Tyler in _Lord of the Rings_; his favorite Pre-Pulse movies.

And to top it all off, it felt good to hold her. Unlike his many one-night flings and weekly top tens, he felt a genuine ease in having this girl in his embrace. Her head was resting on his shoulder, her two petite hands holding onto one of his large ones.

"Hey," whispered the X6, nudging her gently. "Hey, it's morning. Wake up."

Eddie's eyes fluttered open, unfocused, then settled on his face. She smiled in an embarrassed way, laughing softly. "Hey."

"Sleep well?"

"Very well," replied the young woman, sitting up. She fingered the fabric of his leather jacket as she said, "This is really comfy."

"You can keep it. I can get another one, and it looks a lot better on you," said Pick with a grin as he stood up and stretched.

Eddie got to her feet and did the same, then looked at him and flushed red, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.

"Look, about last night," they said in unison.

"I'm sorry you had to see that," said Eddie with a quiet laugh.

"Ah, don't even worry about it. I'm glad I could help. Kinda freaked me out at first, but it's all good now," replied Pick coolly. He couldn't wipe the silly grin off his face as he added, "It was… nice."

"Yeah, it was," she said, then there was a long pause. "Look, I better be getting back to the camp. I don't want anyone jeopardized by searching for me."

"Same here." The X6 put his hand on her shoulder. "Hey listen… if you ever need me… you know, to talk or a favor or whatever, just call me. Here." He reached across and pulled a cell phone from the jacket pocket. "You can have this. It's an extra. The number to my beeper and my real cell is in the memory."

Eddie nodded, smiling up at him. "Thanks. Thanks a lot."

"You're welcome."

"Well… I guess this is where we say goodbye."

Pick kept grinning at her, didn't move. "Yeah."

"Yeah."

They laughed as they realized that neither of them were very willing to move.

"You first," suggested Pick.

"Nah, you first."

"Alright. Here I go." The X6 started moving backwards – in a southerly direction, of course. "Bye, you."

"And you," she responded, laughing as she watched him go. "Be careful."

"Always."

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"Pick! Where you been, man? Hank and Junky said you left yesterday morning. I was just about to go looking for ya!"

Pick smiled and laughed as he clapped his old friend on the shoulder. "You mean you were going to send out a lackey to search for me, eh?"

"Got that right, buddy boy," replied Dodd, winking as he tapped his artificial legs.

"How you been?" asked Pick as he sat down on an offered chair. He and Dodd had been on an away mission together to Italy when they were sixteen. After accomplishing the base of the mission – killing a prime minister of some South American country in his vacation home – they had been caught in the crossfire of another mission to terminate a rebellious anarchy group. The X5 on the mission was killed after terminating her target and they were ordered to retrieve her body. On the way out of the building the body was getting kept in, they were spotted and a grenade was thrown to stop them – incinerating the body and destroying Dodd's legs. Pick, on the other hand, got out fine by pure luck.

"Well, when the going gets tough, the tough find people who will do their chores for them," replied the blonde X6 amusedly. "Things are okay. The little munchkins are about to drive me crazy." He nodded his head toward the group of X8s playing tag outside.

"Don't even try it with me, Dodd. You know you love it," joked Pick, hitting his friend on the head.

"Eh, eh, don't touch," protested Dodd. He settled in his overstuffed chair and took a deep breath. A pause, then he sniffed the air. "Do you have a cat?"

Pick shifted uncomfortably. "No. Why?"

"You smell like one. It's all over you. Have you… _hugged_ a cat lately?"

"No."

"Fine, whatever. Suit yourself. Just lay off the felines, man – you smell like a giant fur ball!" Dodd laughed, not noticing his friend's uneasiness. "Anyway, can you hook these kids up with a place to stay? Three meals, a roof, and playtime is all they really need, and I can't guarantee it to them."

"We got everything. Don't even worry about it," reassured Pick. "There's a whole bunch of females that'll take care of them."

Dodd grinned. "X5?"

"Oh yeah. Lots."

"X5s are hot, man! Ever seen them train? I'd love to get myself a piece of that!" joked Dodd, laughing.

"Yeah, well adults have communal showers back at my place in Seattle."

Dodd's jaw dropped. "You're kidding."

"Nope."

"I think I might come visit someday. I imagine that I'll develop some mysterious disease that will require me to stay in the shower as long as there are females in there."

"It's called being horny, you ass," replied Pick.

Dodd sat up. "Speaking of being horny, how about we go for a bender tonight? This new strip club opened up downtown and they're giving out free beer to celebrate their grand opening. I hear the girls are classy."

"Classy strippers? There's a new one."

"We're not ones to judge, my friend. All that matters is their willingness to dance upon your lap for the duration of a song," explained Dodd with feigned seriousness. "Now, are you in or not?"

"Would I pass up a chance to spend quality time with you and buyable, half-naked, beautiful ladies? Never."

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"Eddie! Where the hell have you been?" shouted Tegan as the cat anomaly strolled into the area. "We've been looking all over for you!"

"Sorry, sorry. After I…" She paused. "Well, I just freaked out, okay? I'm fine now."

Tegan stared at her friend for a few seconds, then abruptly grabbed her into a fierce hug.

"Hey, hey… I'm fine, Teg. I promise," reassured Eddie, patting the monkey anomaly on the back.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again, you hear me? You're my friend, Eddie – one of my best friends around this place… but don't ever tell anyone I said that out loud," said Tegan with a grin. "Wouldn't want people to think I'm a softy or anything."

"It'll be our little secret," replied Eddie with a smile.

"Pan's been worried," said Tegan nonchalantly, glancing over to where the panther anomaly was standing. "He feels really bad about the whole thing. Maybe you should go talk to him."

"Maybe I should." The cat anomaly nibbled her lip. "But I don't want to…"

"Come on. Get it over with," prodded Tegan with an exasperated look. "You'll thank me later. Now move it!" She pushed the cat anomaly in the general direction of Pan.

"Fine, fine!" snapped Eddie, slapping away her friend's hands. She took several calming breaths and approached Pan. "Hey."

He turned and smiled down at her. "Oh, hey. Where've you been? I thought I scared you off."

Eddie idly fiddled with the hem of her jacket as she answered, "Nah. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried." She paused long enough to take another deep breath. "Listen, Pan… I just want you to know that you don't have any obligations as a result of yesterday. None whatsoever."

Pan looked uncomfortable. "Eddie, I can't just pretend like it didn't happen. We had sex, and I'm going to take responsibility for that."

"Well isn't that noble of you," responded Eddie with a sigh. "Look, I don't _want_ you to take responsibility for it, Pan. It's my fault the whole thing happened… and I just want to forget about it, okay?"

The panther anomaly looked surprised and relieved. "Well… I mean… if that's what _you_ want. I wouldn't want to put pressure on you or anything…"

Eddie nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "It's all good."

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For some reason or other, Pick wasn't enjoying himself. He wasn't enjoying himself despite the immense amount of alcohol he had consumed. He wasn't enjoying himself despite the three gorgeous, near-naked women dancing on his lap. He wasn't enjoying himself at all and couldn't quite put his finger on the reason why.

_Pimp juice_ -_ oooooooooh-ooooooooh-hoooooooo_

_I think I need to let it loose (might think I need to let it loose)_

_Let her loose_,_ let her loooooose_

_She only want me for my pimp juice (that's all she want me for f'real)_

_Not my pimp juice_,_ I'm talkin new pimp juice_

_I think I need to cut her loose (it's time for homegirl to recognize)_

_Yes I do_, _yes I doooooo_-_hoooo_

Dodd, on the other hand, was enjoying himself almost too much. He had four women dancing in front of him, was drinking champagne bottles like they were Kool-aid. A few other X6s had joined them, but Pick hadn't bothered listening to their names. 888, 234, 106 – it was all the same to him.

One of the girls was noticing his lack of enthusiasm – the smartest one, most likely – and had a slightly concerned, slightly offended look on her face.

_I'm in that, seventy_-_four_, _Coupe DeVille_

_With the_,_ power seats, leather, wood on my wheel_

_One-touch sunroof BUT leave it alone_

_Hoes see it can't believe it - "It's goin back on it's own"_

_Oooooooooooooooh_, _shit, that's how we do it baby_

"_Every day like this_?"_ Seven dayy_-_ayyys_

_I tell you three-sixty-five_

"Look, ladies, you're very beautiful and all, but I'm really not in the mood right now. Why don't you take the money—" he handed them each a large wad of bills "—and give my friend there a free dance, how about it? He's the one with the fake legs."

The young women nodded and moved away, hips swaying and hair bobbing.

Pick slumped in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He was not only not enjoying himself now, but a migraine was coming on. What was wrong with him? Usually he'd have one of this girls at home and in a bed by now, but tonight he felt so… _guilty_ for even being here at all – which was strange, because there was nobody to get him in trouble for it; there was no woman to nag at him for being there.

_Winter spring and fall_,_ in the summer we ride_

_You actin_'_ like you never seen it befo_'__

_Like them country boys ain't got no dough_

_Bitch please GET OUT but don't you slam that do'_

_DUST YOUR SHOES OFF befo' you touch that flo'_

_Cause you wanna put your feet on my rug, don'tcha?_

_You really wanna put your feet on my rug, don'tcha?_

_You're in a hurry - SLOW DOWN - and I might letcha touch it_

_You ain't from Russia, so bitch why you Russian?_

That is, until _she_ walked in.

Pick jumped up as if he had just been burned. No. It couldn't be. He stared. Pointed ears, glowing green eyes. She turned and started walking the other way, not seeing him, and he all but ran forward to catch her. He grabbed her shoulder, saying, "Hey," but then stopped. Her ears weren't pointed. It was just an effect of the dim light and her hairclips. Her eyes weren't glowing green. It was contacts that glowed neon in the black light. His heart dropped.

_Now I'm clean as a whistle sharp as a razor_

_In anythang from Timberland to Gaines_

_Now listen_ _I play the haters like they should be played_

_And uhh I love the ladies like they should get laid_

_That's why I _- _I got my fade everybody had braids_

_And now they switch to fades and I'm thinkin 'bout braids_

"Sorry, I thought you were someone else," he apologized, letting his hand drop from her shoulder.

The young woman smiled at him jauntily. "Well, that's the thing big guy – if you want me to, I can _be_ someone else. Just for tonight."

Pick stared at her. She was about that height… same build… similar voice… He grinned at her. "Ever dressed up as a cat for Halloween?"

_Just an example of hoochieless jackin_

_If we were hoopin, I'd be yellin "They hackin"_

_I see you momma, in my Dolce Gabbana_

_Gucci and Prada baby I gotta lotta_

_The Luciana ain't a problem for poppa_

_That's all you want then baby girl I'm a-holla_

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Eddie was just about to turn in for the night. She trudged through the trees in the general direction of the sewer entrance. Jackie had had a little boy – a red, wrinkly, squirming bundle of joy. His name was Huru, Swahili for 'free person'. Eddie had tried to stay away from the gruesome scene – which, as reported by Tegan, had involved Jackie nearly twisting the hand off of Axle. When it was all over, though, the cat anomaly had visited. She had never seen a newborn baby before, and his tiny size had thrown her for a loop at first. He fit snugly in the crook of her arm and, until he started crying and turned even redder than before, she considered him to be a beautiful baby.

"So did you talk to her?"

The cat anomaly froze in her tracks as the voice interrupted her thoughts. Two shadows passed, through the trees and, since she was a cat, she could see that it was Pan and the only male cat anomaly around.

"Yeah," answered Pan with a grin. "She said I didn't' owe her anything. Thank the Blue Lady for that. I might've thrown up if she got all mushy-mushy, lovey-dovey on me."

"The things we do for women," replied the male cat anomaly, laughing.

Eddie followed them quietly.

"It's just 'cause she's hot, you know? Otherwise I wouldn't even consider saying all that 'taking responsibility' shit, you know? She's the finest piece of ass around here – except for that X5. When she gets back into shape from being pregnant, I don't know if I'll be able to control myself. Genetically engineered hoochie – my favorite kind," laughed Pan.

Eddie stopped, staring after them. Her legs started shaking, so she sat down. Her throat tightened. Her eyes swelled with tears. Why her? Why always her? Did someone in power hate her? Holding her head in her hands, she stifled a sob. This was great. Just fucking great. She was a 'hoochie'. How flattering. "Goddamn it, why can't I avoid these situations?" moaned Eddie aloud, hugging herself, then becoming very still. The jacket. She was still wearing his jacket, and his cell phone was in the pocket.

She pulled the item from the pocket and opened it. Its greenish glow illuminated her face and a chipper greeting of "HI THERE" appeared on the screen. Jackie had a cell phone, and had taught her how to use one once. She scrolled through the address book and finally found the number marked "PICK'S CELL". Without hesitation, she pressed "TALK" and put it to her ear.

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Pick stared at the face of the young woman next to him. Her features were pulled into a pleased afterglow smile even in sleep, her dark hair spread over the pillow lazily.

His phone rang, so he turned on the lamp next to the motel bed and sat up to answer it. "Hello?"

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"Pick?" said Eddie tentatively. "Were you sleeping?"

"No, I'm wide awake," came the reply. "What's up?"

"You know who this is?" asked the cat anomaly, more than a little bit surprised.

"Yeah. This is Eddie, right?"

She smiled in spite of herself, then remembered her reason for calling and frowned.

"Is… something wrong?" he questioned.

A pause. Eddie took a deep breath, imagining him sitting up in his bed, leaning against the headboard with a content look on his face – and, though she didn't know it, she was absolutely right. Quietly, she spoke, "I… I need to talk to you."

"Alright. Shoot."

"Could you… stay on the phone with me?"

"Stay on the phone? Why?"

"I, um… I had a bad day. Again. I… wish you were here." She could've sworn she heard him smile, as crazy as it sounded.

"Yeah, well truthfully, I wish I was there too. I feel like shit."

Another pause.

"Pick?"

"Yeah?"

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Eddie."

They smiled through the line as they both curled up – Eddie against a tree and Pick in the bed – and went to sleep without ending the call; content to just hear the other breathe as they drifted into dreamland.


End file.
